Eating Habits and Personality Traits
Good eating habits are associated with disease prevention and improved quality of life, yet some people have low dietary intake and diet quality. However, there are some people who have low dietary intake and diet quality. Since the study was conducted among university students, who are most likely to be affected, it is very important to understand the relationship between individual personality traits and dietary habits in order to make effective behavioral changes in diet.
Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between personality traits and dietary habits of university students in Ghana.
A cross-sectional design was adopted with 400 students participating, and information on sociodemographic characteristics and body mass index were examined.
Personality characteristics of the Big Five
Extraversion
Integrity
Agreeableness
Openness
Neuroticism
These were assessed using Goldberg's 50-item International Personality Item Pool (IPIP), and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) was used to obtain further information about eating habits.
Results.
Most of the students scored high on integrity, and with the exception of neuroticism, all personality traits were found to be significantly associated with at least one of the eating habits examined.
Higher scores on extraversion were associated with.
New appetite (p = 0.028)
Interest in food (p = 0.008)
A higher extroversion score was positively associated with
Food diversity (p = 0.045)
Higher honesty scores were positively associated with ・diversity of foods (p = 0.045) ・reducing sugar intake (p = 0.006)
and
Higher scores on cooperativeness were associated with
New appetite (p = 0.005)
Higher scores on cooperation were associated with a new appetite (p = 0.005).
For more information
The following is a summary of personality traits and trends in food preferences and habits.
Extraversion
They prefer fruit, are careful about fat intake, know what they are eating and moderate their eating, but may also eat out of emotion.
Integrity
Understands and moderates food content, but sometimes eats out of emotion, may not be able to moderate, but tends to be more interested in food, prefers fiber, and reduces fat intake.
Neurotic tendencies
Tend to have a high interest in food and manage their diet thoroughly, but tend to consume less fruit, less salt, and not be as conscious about fat content.
Cooperativeness
They tend to be concerned about excess salt and are very particular about their diet, but they also tend to eat emotionally.
Openness
Overall, they tend to be very particular about their diet, but they tend not to skip one meal or moderate their fat content.
These statements are a rough summary of the results of research, and in reality, each personality trait is high or low, so there is no easy way to say that you are like this! In reality, each personality trait is high or low.
Intiful, F.D., Oddam, E.G., Kretchy, I. et al. Exploring the relationship between the big five personality traits and dietary habits among students in a Ghanaian University. BMC Psychol 7, 10 (2019). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-019-0286-z
Summary
Using the famous "Big Five" personality index in psychology, we investigated the exact tendencies and dietary habits.
With regard to neurotic tendencies, other studies have come to different conclusions, and it is difficult to draw conclusions about specific dietary tendencies.
It seems that if you are highly sincere, you tend to avoid unhealthy foods; if you are highly extroverted, you tend to eat a diverse diet but include unhealthy foods due to the influence of being in a social environment; if you are highly cooperative, you tend to diversify your diet to fit in with others and continue to pursue your own style.
This may sound like a fortune-telling exercise, but for those who are in a position to provide dietary guidance, understanding the personality traits of others can be useful in dietary management, so this information may be useful as an "indicator".
